Where would we be without conversation? Throughout history, conversations have allowed us to see different perspectives, build ideas, and solve problems. Conversations, particularly those referred to in this book as academic conversations, push students to think and learn in lasting ways. Academic conversations are back-and-forth dialogues in which students focus on a topic and explore it by building, challenging, and negotiating relevant ideas.

This book explores the reasons for persistent differences in work practices both within and between industries. The authors found that the strategy that a firm chooses to follow often determines the kind of work practices it fosters.

Harmonische Freude features chamber music by Johann Sebastian Bach and his extended circle, played on historical instruments by Austral Harmony, an ensemble of Australian musicians who specialise in music of the 18th century. The group fosters a particular interest in the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, and presents innovatively designed programmes promoting less familiar repertoire. This is its first recording on Chandos.

Editors: Noguchi, Masa (Ed.)Explores the emerging ZEMCH concept, which fosters a new mindset regarding sustainable housing developmentsDescribes new strategies for incorporation of personalization in the house-building industryProvides a package of interdisciplinary technical design and construction knowledge that will assist in delivery of sustainable homes in different climates

Authors: Dori, DovAn indispensable MBSE reference, compatible with OPM ISO 19450 and OMG SysML that fosters deep systems thinking amongst students and systems engineering professionalsProvides a holistic, formal, yet intuitive approach to developing and evolving complex systems, embedded systems, and systems of systems that can comprise humans, hardware, software, and regulations, which can be physical and cybernetic components, operating in harmony with the environmentEach chapter concludes with a succinct summary and a problem set, solvable using a freely available modeling software, downloadable from http://esml.iem.technion.ac.il/

Part of the new Core Knowledge in Orthopaedics series, this book fills a need for a relatively succinct, affordable reference that fosters a rapid mastery of the key concepts and core knowledge in spine surgery.

Eva Khatchadourian is trying to piece together her life following the "incident". Once a successful travel writer, she is forced to take whatever job comes her way, which of late is as a clerk in a travel agency. She lives a solitary life as people who know about her situation openly shun her, even to the point of violent actions toward her. She, in turn, fosters that solitary life because of the incident, the aftermath of which has turned her into a meek and scared woman. That incident involved her son Kevin Khatchadourian, who is now approaching his eighteenth birthday. Eva and Kevin have always had a troubled relationship, even when he was an infant. Whatever troubles he saw, Franklin, Eva's complacent husband, just attributed it to Kevin being a typical boy. The incident may be seen by both Kevin and Eva as his ultimate act in defiance against his mother.

The contribution of culture to organizational performance is substantial and quantifiable. In The Culture Cycle, James L. Heskett demonstrates how an effective culture can account for up to half of the differential in performance between organizations in the same business. A follow-up to the classic Corporate Culture and Performance (coauthored with John Kotter), this book explains how culture evolves, can be shaped and sustained, fosters innovation, can promote survival in tough times, influences the success of global strategies, and is maintained in both for-profit and not-for-profit mission-driven organizations.